Memphis Pastor Jason Mitchell says he doesn't know if the violent events in Virginia on Saturday motivated vandals to paint a racial slur on his vehicle Sunday night while it was parked in the Collierville High School parking lot.

"It is unfair to make the assumption that what happened to me is connected with what happened in Charlottesville the other day," Mitchell said. "However I do want to say that something encouraged their behavior."

It could be that they saw he was an African-American when he arrived to play basketball with friends or that they knew only African-Americans were playing that night.

"I don’t know if it was connected with what’s been going on in the country, but I would not be surprised if that’s the case," he said.

On Saturday white supremacists protesting the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee clashed with counter protesters. One man drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters, killing a 32-year-old woman.

Mitchell said he has played basketball regularly at the school gym on Sundays for about four years.

Sometime between 7-8:30 p.m. Sunday Mitchell's vehicle was tagged with a racial slur that was plural and he believes was a "message for all of us."

Other cars in the lot had been vandalized with paint, he said, but no racial slurs. He said after assisting those drivers, another man noticed the message on Mitchell's 2004 Cadillac Escalade.

Mitchell, the pastor of Perfecting Love Community Church, said he was furious.

"Although I was upset, I was still able to keep focused on the task at hand and understood that I had a responsibility to be the voice of other victims," he said. "So I had to capture what happened and I had to prepare to make a statement."

He took a picture and contacted the police, who arrived at the gas station where he was parked within minutes.

The school's parking lot has surveillance cameras and the investigation is underway, according to Lt. David Townsend, police department spokesman. A similar incident is being investigated in a neighborhood near the school.

Collierville Mayor Stan Joyner has called the racist vandalism sickening, has said it does not reflect the real Collierville and has offered Mitchell an apology.

Stan Joyner, Collierville mayor(Photo: Handout)

Joyner, a Collierville native, said he's "disgusted" by the vandals' actions, that they may not even realize the seriousness of this offense and that they could be charged with a hate crime.

"And I’m glad that there was video evidence of what took place there. Because we're just not going to tolerate it. That's not who this community is. That's not who I am," Joyner said. "We’re just not going to stand for it. We’ll do whatever we need to to nip it in the bud. And certainly I apologize to the pastor whose car was vandalized and the way that it was vandalized."

There is some speculation that the culprits may be middle school students.

"It can be handled by the school and by the town. But it’s going to have to be handled at home," Joyner said.

Mitchell doesn't really care how old they are.

"The bigger picture here is bringing justice to the situation. I don’t care if they were 5 years old. They need to be charged with a hate crime and it needs to be on their record," he said. "And if not, we're showing we’re condoning that behavior."

Mitchell said he's heard from Collierville residents who were outraged over the incident.

He wants to meet with Joyner and asks that the mayor denounce white supremacy and hatred.

"I want him to give them the peace of mind that he is committed to the change that needs to happen in this country and to come out and say he denounces this form of hatred," MItchell said.

Collierville Schools Superintendent John Aitken has also released a statement that said in part:

"Collierville Schools is dedicated to providing a safe environment for all students, employees, and visitors and in no way condones the behavior of the individuals involved in this incident. Their actions do not reflect the values of either Collierville Schools or the greater Collierville community."

The police department is asking anyone with information on these incidents to contact the department's criminal investigation division (901) 457-2520.